Our Secret
by shattered melodies
Summary: Eli has enough of Fitz's bullying and takes a stand. But, how far is too far when Clare gets hurt from this? This happens during the Boiling Point and let's say Fitz reacts differently to getting arrested. Three chapters for Eli/Clare. I own nothing!
1. Our Secret

**Well, now. This was really hard to write.  
It's really not perfect. ;~; But I still hope you like it!  
I've never done a one-shot like this...  
Review and favorite...? :33  
This happens during the Boiling Point and let's say  
Fitz reacts differently to getting arrested.**

**Enjoy, mes amis! :)**

**Edit: For all those who said that Clare's name was spelled wrong,  
I fixed it. Even added a few details and fixed Eli's line  
when he stood up to Fitz while protecting Adam.  
**

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Our Secret  
**_~Degrassi One-Shot for Eli/Clare~_

"_When the whole world turned its back on me, you were the only one who couldn't leave me alone."_

The two of them have been fighting for weeks. It all started when he wouldn't move from the parking spot, like the immature scum he is. Fitz was never the smartest guy (you can just look at him and think that). In a taunting manner, he ripped the skull off of Eli's hearse for no apparent reason; maybe to just mess with him. But nobody messes with Eli and gets away with it, of course. A few days went by with tension, but Fitz then decided to pick on Adam (who was there with Eli when the skull was destroyed) by throwing him into lockers.

"Have you figured out what you're looking at yet?" Fitz growled at Adam as he pushed him into a bunch of lockers in the hallway. Adam groaned lightly but looked straight into Fitz's eyes without any fear.

"Still trying to process the smell," He responded as a hiss.

"Try it with a broken nose!" Just as Fitz was about to punch him, Eli ran over and stopped him; getting in between Adam and Fitz.

"Tell me this, what were you thinking when you got that haircut? No, no  
seriously. Were there auditions for planet of the apes remake I didn't hear  
about?" He yelled straight in his face as Fitz grabbed onto his jacket and got straight up in his face.

"He's already got the odor down," Adam said, a little worried. "Guys, teacher!" And just for the day, Fitz let go of Eli and walked away; clearly unsatisfied.

The bullying just wouldn't stop. The next day, it crossed the line.

Clare was walking to school aimlessly; staring ahead of her when Eli sees her and instantly (and instinctively) runs over to her.

"Clare!" He was on the other side of the chained fence and walked beside her; his hands wrapping around the fence as he was walking along side it (perhaps it was his way of reaching out to her?). "I was considering your request of just ignoring him but I couldn't help but think of it as so… unsatisfying. Don't you think he deserves a nice punch in the face?"

"I thought violence wasn't your style? Or are the rumors true?" Clare responded as soon as the fence stopped and the two were able to walk together side-by-side for real.

"What do these rumors say about me?"

"That you're obsessed with death, which would explain the hearse," She chuckled cutely and lightly smiled over at him.

"People can say what they want, but my style is not letting jerks get away with being… jerks,"

"Say what you want but you know, you don't have to try to impress me-" Literally right after she said that, Eli touched her arm and twisted her so he could look her straight in the face.

"Hey, who says I'm trying to impress you?" He was immediately defensive at that little comment, and Clare gave him a skeptical expression. Eli sighed lightly and nodded.

"Okay, I'll call off the dogs. This will all be over soon."

"I knew you were smart,"

"E-li!" Fitz called in a taunting manner from not too far away. He was sitting on the edge of a car and was glancing over at the two of them.

"Oh, two syllables. Good for you," Eli responded with a smug smirk. Fitz glared at him and walked over to him.

"You just can't shut your mouth, can you?"

"You destroyed my car!" Eli glanced at Clare who was merely inches away from him. "Just apologize and we can go back to ignoring each other's existence."

"Alright, I'm sorry…" Fitz smirked and laughed under his breath. "For your nards."

"My what-?" Eli collapsed to the ground after having Fitz give him a _low blow._ Fitz laughed with his two other friends as he walked away.

"I-is there something I can do?" Clare said; immediately crouching down on her knees and readying her hands to help him. Eli had brushed his head against her lap for just a moment but decided physical contact was a bad idea.

"_Don't_ touch anything!" He groaned; twitching lightly as he tried sitting up a little. "Still think I shouldn't punch him in the face?"

"It'll only make things worse…"

In his classes, Eli spent his time plotting ways to get his revenge. It wasn't long before that happened and he needed Adam's help. He was deciding to give Fitz a fake I.D., but make his I.D. someone the police wanted to catch. Fitz agreed to let Eli make him one, and his plan was falling into action.

Eli had called the cops and allowed Fitz to beat him up in some alleyway. When they arrived, they looked at Fitz's fake I.D. and took him into custody; believing that he was a criminal that they had been wanting to catch. Eli returned to school with nothing but a busted open lip; he felt accomplished.

"Where were you all afternoon?" Clare asked worriedly as the two met up and walked down a hallway.

"Let's just say, I got my revenge,"

"So, no more worries, right?" She sighed and glanced to the ground. "So much for no violence…"

"Hey, no one got hurt," She looked at his busted lip and gingerly touched it with her thumb and index finger. The two of them locked eyes for a moment as Eli merely smirked his usual smug smile. "Okay, we got into a fight, but someone had put his picture on a fake I.D. along with the name of a wanted criminal! Oops. The cops will have a bit of laugh at that."

"…You got him arrested?" Clare's eyes twitched as she began to walk away. It annoyed her that her friend would go so far just for some stupid revenge.

"He'll be out once they clear his name and figure out that he's not that guy," He replied; running after her with his smirk still plastered on his lips. "Worst comes to worst, he'll go to court."

"So, that's it?" Clare replied, clearly angry. "I was on my way to Principal Simpson's office to express concern over your _mental stability_."

"Clare, you worry too much. The worst thing is he'd get busted for fake I.D. possession and go to court,"

"And if he tells who he got the I.D. from?"

"His word against mine."

"He's gonna be mad…"

"…Speak of the devil." Looked like Fitz had gotten out of jail and was roaming the school once more. From the look in his eyes, he wanted blood; he wanted to kill somebody for putting him through that and once he saw Eli, his anger exploded.

"Yeah, real nice one!" He yelled; planting his bony fist into Eli's face. He fell backwards and the people in the hallway began to look their way. "Do you think it's funny that I was interrogated for being a wanted criminal because of the fake I.D. YOU gave me?"

"Fitz, leave him alone!" Clare said; coming to Eli's defense. "He wasn't thinking clearly!"

"Shut up!" He glanced over at Clare and back-hand slapped her; causing her to stagger back and hit her back against the locker. A loud slam echoed in the hallway and Clare's eyes went wide as she groaned lightly; her body falling to the ground.

"Clare!" Eli called out her name; standing up immediately and getting into his face. Fitz definitely crossed the line there; nobody hurts Clare on Eli's behalf. "If you have a problem with me, take it with me! Don't hurt her!"

"What's so special about her, huh? Do you like her or something? Huh?" He walked over to Clare who had busted her forehead and a line of blood was running down her face. She looked up at him with misty eyes; she could barely see him because her head was so dizzy, but she was crawling away from him out of fear of being hurt again. Just before he could hit her again, Eli tackled him to the ground away from Clare and began to punch him in his face like a mad man. The two of them wrestled with each other; causing Eli's busted lip to bleed more. Fitz punched him in the eye; earning him a future black-eye. Eli punched him in the nose; breaking it instantly. All in the later, Clare had slipped down to the ground and fainted; the blood from her wound slipping down faster. The fight wasn't over until two teachers broke them apart.

"What's the MATTER with you two?" Principal Simpson, who was holding Eli back, yelled at them. Both of them were out of breath and death-glaring at each other. Nothing anyone said at that moment could've made them feel better. They were both angry at each other for different reasons. Just as Principal Simpson was sending those two away, Eli looked behind him to see how Clare was and the sight he saw was horrifying. He could see the gash in her forehead where the locker had cut her, and how the blood was pouring out of it. He knew he went too far. His heart twitched uncomfortably and he wanted to run over to her and comfort her (even though she had fainted). He let out a deep sigh and couldn't stop looking at her; he knew this was his fault.

Clare had been omitted to the hospital for immediate attention. She had to get stitches in her forehead and suffered from a concussion. But, it wasn't long before they stabilized her again and she was awake. Her mom and dad were there when she woke up.

"Oh, honey, you're okay!" Her mother said in tears; hugging Clare closely. She blinked; her head still a little dizzy from hitting the locker and her cheek hurt from where she was slapped.

"Where am I, Mom…?" She weakly muttered; looking up at her with tired eyes.

"In the hospital… do you remember what happened?" It took her a moment to look back on it, but she nodded her head.

"Yeah… I just got caught up in a stupid fight. That's all,"

"Principal Simpson called us immediately; he sounded so worried. He told us everything except who were the ones who were caught up in the fight. Do you know who?" Clare considered telling them that Eli was a part of the fight, but she couldn't find it in her heart to rat him out to her parents. She didn't want to add on to the drama.

"N-no… I don't know them." Clare sat up weakly; groaning in the slightest bit. She looked over to the window to see that Eli was there; waving at her with a bit of a sad expression. "Er, Mom, Dad, could you give us a second?" Her parents looked out the window and nodded their heads. They kissed her head lightly and left and Eli came in.

"How are you feeling?" He asked in a quiet, guilty voice.

"I've had better days," She chuckled lightly and smiled to ease the mood. He snorted slightly at the joke and sat down on the bed she laid in. "So how badly did Principal Simpson punish you?"

"I got a ten day suspension, what else is new? And my eye is killing me…"

"Well, it looks like you're gonna get a black eye soon," Clare reached up and gently touched the skin beside his eye and the two stared into each other's eyes. Eli looked guilty, but Clare looked more serene.

"Clare, I'm… I'm sorry," He started saying. "I should've listened to you in the first place and called off the dogs."

"Well, you should be sorry," She responded a bit mockingly; a grin forming on her face for just a moment before forming into a frown. Eli's hand crept towards Clare's and he gently held hers; gazing up into her eyes. "Next time someone messes with you… at least be careful and don't go as far."

"I think for now I've learned my lesson," Eli leaned his forehead gently against Clare's (but stayed away from the gash) and continued to stare. Clare's cheeks flared up lightly but she merely stared back; holding his hand and somewhat lifting it in the air. "I'm sorry… for everything; especially for getting you hurt."

"It's not like you knew he would come back to school so soon…"

"There aren't any excuses for this though; I went too far! I don't think I'll be sorry enough-" Before he could finish, Clare leaned in and kissed his lips. He stopped in his tracks and gladly returned it.

"That can be… our little secret," She said when she broke apart from him; her eyes twinkling with life and a cute smile curling on her lips.

"Our little secret…"


	2. The Past

**Hey guys!  
This is for everybody who wanted more...  
I'm going to write ONE LAST CHAPTER after this one.  
Yay for a one-shot turned mini-series?  
I'm warning you though. It gets really sad at the end.  
(I cried writing it!)  
It's about Eli's past, since I know a lot of people are wondering  
about that part of him. Well, here you go.**

**Review, please! :) I love you guys so much for all your reviews.  
I really hope you'll like this one just as much.  
**

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Our Secret: Part Two; The Past**  
~Degrassi (part two) for Eli/Clare~

"Are you sure about it, Clare? I can, but I thought _violence wasn't your style_," Eli teased the now well-enough Clare as they left her hospital room. They were on their way out of there. She had to stay overnight just so the doctors could monitor her concussion.

"'My style is not letting jerks getting away with being jerks.' Isn't that right?" She mocked him back with a bit of a smirk. "But yeah. He put me in the hospital for the day… it would do me well to see him try it out."

"My, my, Miss Edwards! I didn't know you had a darker side to you,"

"There are many things you don't know about me, Eli," Clare responded; flashing him her unique little smile; which in turn got him to, too.

"You're a fascinating girl, Clare…" His words drifted off his tongue as he stared at the loveliest girl he knew standing right next to him. God, there was so much to like about her… she was beautiful, her eyes sparkled when they saw him, and she had one hell of a personality. "You're not like any other girl I know."

"Maybe you hang out with the wrong girls then," She responded; staring in front of her at the delicate trees. The two decided to sit on a bench while Clare waits for her parents to arrive to pick her up. She insisted that Eli take her home, but her parents didn't like the idea of her and a _boy_ being alone in a car.

"So tell me what you had in mind then when you said you wanted revenge," He asked her; slightly turning her way.

"I agree that he deserves a punch in the face, but if you have to resort to violence, at least don't do it on school grounds," Clare looked into Eli's eyes with a worried expression. "I don't want you to get suspended again."

"I don't care if I get suspended; it's just like a vacation!" He responded with a grin. "But catching up is never fun… anyway, continue." Clare furrowed her brow as her gaze shifted to the ground.

"I… I don't really know what to do… I never really needed to get back at somebody before,"

"Really, Clare?" He scoffed lightly in a mocking way and raised his left eyebrow. "It's not as hard as you think. It can be as simple as starting a petty little rumor."

"What kind of rumor could we start…?"

"…He's gay and only picks on weak-looking guys or girls in our school because he's ashamed of himself and is looking for an easy win to avoid the inevitable truth?" Clare winced slightly; she hated the idea of starting something that wasn't true but she was too bitter to really care.

"Well, I guess that's a start..." She let out a sigh. "Which one of us will be the one that starts it?"

"You'll be the one who's in school while I'm out for ten days,"

"But… I'll feel so dirty…" Eli smirked at that comment; a low chuckle escaping his wounded, cut lips. Clare was a total goodie-two-shoe, but it was surprisingly cute coming from her.

"Fine, when I come back, I'll start it. Feel better?"

"Not especially…" She never started a rumor before. It was against school rules to do so, and she wasn't the type to just willingly break it.

"You worry too much," Eli responded; tucking his index finger and thumb underneath her chin and pushing it up so he could gaze into her eyes and leaned close to her lips. Her cheeks grew to a cherry blossom pink but she was frozen in time. "Just relax; everything will be okay and eventually, it'll just be the two of us again without a problem…" Just as Clare was about to give into the sin of kissing his lips, she could see that her parents had just arrived so she immediately pushed away from Eli; her cheeks still very warm and pink.

"Erm, t-thank you for waiting with me…" She whispered; standing up when her mom came around. She gave Eli a rather stern look before turning to her daughter with a smile.

"I'm glad to see you're alright, Clare! Let's go home," She said as the two of them went to the car. Clare glanced over her shoulder at Eli, who watched them with a smug smile until they drove away. When she had gotten into the car, something inside Clare made her wave over to him and a smile again reached her face. There was just something about Eli that made her heart skip. He was the complete opposite of her… but maybe that's what was so special about him. He was different. He didn't let anything stand in his way. He stood up for what he believed in. She spent so much time these past few weeks just thinking about him. Though it didn't seem like it on the outside, Clare was definitely falling for Eli on the inside.

As Clare went to school, the days just seem to fly by extra, extra slow without Eli. She even managed to drift off in her advanced eleventh grade class. It hadn't occurred to her to how much he kept her, well, normal during class. And Alli was off making out with Drew somewhere else, so Clare was especially reserved. She spent time wondering what he was doing on his "vacation." Maybe she would pay him a visit some time. Yeah, it would give them time to plan even more (or maybe plan something better?) without any distractions. And she actually enjoyed spending time with him. It seemed… like a good idea (at first, of course).

She walked over to his house (which wasn't too far from Degrassi, luckily) and walked to the front door. As she looked into the little, rectangular glass window, she immediately saw fighting occurring. It was Eli's father and he had thrown a punch into Eli's face; causing him to fall backwards and hit the ground with a thud. His father was yelling inaudible words as his son lay on the ground; bleeding from his cheek. A moment later, his father walked away; going outside to presumably have a smoke, and Clare saw her chance to enter the house.

"Eli!" She whispered; keeping an eye on the door to where Eli's father left out of. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"Clare! What are you doing here?" He stood up; wiping the blood off his face with his sleeve. He felt embarrassed that she had to see something so horrifying, so he turned his back to her. "You shouldn't be here. If my dad finds out…"

"You'll be beaten more?" She choked out the words; her eyes becoming misty with tears. She knew he had a secret behind all his dark clothing, but it was this bad? She had no idea and felt guilty for some reason. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Yeah, because I'm obviously supposed to come out right then and there and tell you that I get hurt at home? Why do you think I'm never here?"

"But Eli… I don't want you to get hurt!" The tears were streamed down her cheeks as soon as she blinked. She frowned and the twinkle in her eyes disappeared with her tears. "I would have convinced my parents to let you stay with me. Heck, I wouldn't wait for their approval."

"Clare…" Eli whispered her name; feeling sad that his pain was slowly becoming hers. It pained him to see that she was crying over him. His hand slowly came up and brushed against her cheek; his thumb wiping away stray tears. "Don't worry about me; you've got enough on your own plate to deal with."

"I don't care about all that! I care about you!" Her heart began to beat extremely fast as soon as she said that; catching the two of them off guard. She couldn't even think clearly after what just happened. "Eli, you matter more to me than any of things I have to deal with… if you're suffering… I want to take that away from you. You don't deserve any of it!"

"I know, Clare. I know," He said; in total shock over what she said. Something made him happy to hear that Clare was returning his deep feelings for her; it made the pain he had to endure whenever he was home somehow go away for a brief moment. "But there's nothing you can do that'll change my dad's mind when it comes to hurting me. Just trust me on this one, okay?" In her eyes, he saw how much it hurt to hear his own words. He cursed himself for having to under his breath and sighed lightly.

"But, Eli…" She glanced to the hard-wood floors below her and a few tears dropped down and landed in front of her. She hated this. She wanted to protect Eli from being abused somehow. Why did he have to feel that kind of pain?

"Listen, I'm sure I can run off for a little while and explain to you everything, okay?" As she looked into Eli's eyes, he looked to be in even more pain; not because he was abused or anything, but because Clare was upset. "I'll tell you my past…" He took her hand and guided her out the door; walking along the sidewalk. The sky was a purple colour, and it was darkening fast. The stars were beginning to pop out and the crescent moon above the two new lovers shined down on them. They were soon at a park and headed for the swings; both of them taking a seat on one.

"My dad and mother both grew up in a similar situation as me; both of their parents beat the living hell out of them. They both thought they could understand each other's pain, and for the longest time they were able to. When my mom had me, the two of them were so happy," Eli looked up at the sky, and from Clare's point of view, she could see a tear beginning to form in his left eye. Her breathing quickened quietly and she continued to listen. "But, my dad couldn't maintain a job by the time I was six years old. They began to fight all the time. My dad resorted to using alcohol for his problems and was coming home drunk. When they fought, Dad would do unbelievable things to Mom; hit her upside the head with a glass bottle, for example. He punished her for just being there in his house! And when Dad found me, he would kick and punch me until I was bruised everywhere and unconscious, along with Mom. Mom left; leaving me behind with nothing but a promise that one day, she'll come back for me. I never heard from her again… Dad was devastated; he still loves her with all his heart, even though his addiction with alcohol has gotten the best of him. The only reason why I'm still here with him is because he keeps telling me – when he's still sober – the only reason why he's still alive is because he has me. Clare, I can't just leave him." Eli had tears running down his cheeks but he couldn't find himself to whimper; he silently sobbed to himself. Clare couldn't believe what she had been hearing. She felt worse than when Fitz had back-slapped her yesterday.

"E-Eli…" She whispered; running over to him and taking him in a full on hug. Her tears soaked onto Eli's black jacket as he in turn clung onto her. He buried his face into the nape of her neck; his own tears falling on her bare skin. He would never break down like this in front of anybody; he knew he could trust Clare with this kind of secret. Clare was the only one he could trust in the first place; never has he ever been able to even think that. Trust was out of the question… until now. There were no need for words; the sound of their quiet cries was the language that they understood.

"Clare…" He whispered breathlessly; a little enlightened to say such a glorious name. "I love you… just… be there for me… please…" His fingers tightened a little; clinging to the fibers and fabrics of her jean jacket and pulling her gently closer to him. Clare looked him straight in the eyes; taking his cheeks in the palms of her hands and her own tears running down right after another.

"Eli, don't even worry about that. I love you, too. I'll always be there for you when you need me." Without saying another word, she took his lips in hers; sadness meeting sadness, passion meeting passion, young love meeting young love…


	3. Just The Two of Us

**Yay, it's all over~  
Thank you for everyone who enjoyed reading this entire mini-series.  
I can't thank all of you enough for your kind reviews!  
Thank you to:  
starwatcher7, keeness, degrassiobessed, elilovers, charice, princeskarlita411, tweety09, A Violet Kind of Violence, Yuuki Sakurai, RogueShadow11, Kellygirl13, MarinaElyssa, mysteriesunveiled, eclare445, amyloveseli, peace-love-eligoldsworthy, kadabrafreak890, , iluvtodance, pollyandpony, and (last but not least) TheGirlWhoRanDegrassi.  
I hope if any of you are still reading this final chapter,  
that you still enjoy it as much as you did the other chapters.  
I LOVE you guys. :)**

**Reviews will always be welcomed for this last one! :)  
ENJOY. **

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Our Secret: Part Three; Just The Two of Us ****  
**_~Degrassi (Part Three) for Eli/Clare~_

After the two love birds dried their tears and the sky was completely dark, they decided to go back to Eli's house. Clare wanted to spend as much time as possible with him for many reasons; she obviously loves him and enjoys being with him, she wanted to make sure his father was okay (and she needed a ride home…). As the two walked, they held onto each other's hands proudly showing the world that they were young lovers. Their fingers fit perfectly intertwined with each other's and they enjoyed the soft skin of their brushing hands. Though they were silent, it was a soothing, comfortable silence; Clare leaning her head against Eli's shoulder and Eli laying his head against hers. As they reached his home, they noticed that all the lights were out.

"Wonder if my dad drank himself unconscious again," Eli said; walking up the stairs. Clare winced upon hearing his words; she disliked hearing those kinds of statements, even if it happened to be true. It just sounded so wrong.

"I hope not…" She whispered to herself. Eli opened the door and both entered the house. The house was oddly silent; like no one had been in there for hours.

"Dad?" He called out; getting no response. He furrowed his brow in confusion; his father was pretty much always home. Where could he be? Eli began to look around; in the living room, in the kitchen, in the bathroom, in the bedrooms… He was nowhere to be found. Clare stayed put by the door; keeping her guard up at all costs.

"He's not here…" Eli said when he returned. He couldn't think of anywhere else to look, and he checked everywhere in the house. Where the hell could his father have gone? Clare drifted to the kitchen and instantly saw a note on the table.

_'Dear Elijah,  
I've done some pretty horrible things; especially to you and to your mother. But I'm done making mistakes. I'm done with this addiction. When I come back from rehab in a month, I'll promise to be a better man. I'll be sure to prove to Alice that I'm the same man she married and loved. Forgive me for everything I've done to you, and for running off so suddenly. Take care.  
-Dad.'_

When Clare finished reading, she didn't know whether to b happy or angry; his father was going to turn his life around, but he left Eli all alone.

"Er... Eli?" She started; catching his attention instantly. "It's for you; from your dad." She handed him the note and he read right through it. He smirked lightly and looked back up at her.

"Can you believe this?" He stated. "He's finally going to try to get better. I'm surprised,"

"I'm sure you'll be lonely if you stay here on your own…" Clare said; slowly walking towards him with blushing pink cheeks.

"Are you trying to hint at something, Blue Eyes?" He replied; wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer to his body. "Do you want me to stay with you?"

"Oh, it was just a thought," Clare giggled innocently as Eli leaned in and kissed the tip of her nose.

"It was a thoughtful thought, but I think for now, I should stay here. I'm sure your parents would wonder why I'd be staying at your house all the time, since I _am_ suspended for another eight days,"

"Another _unfortunate_ eight days," She grimaced; looking down at the floor.

"But… you could visit me for a while after school, but that's just a thought,"

"That was a thoughtful thought; I might take you up on that," The two of them laughed for a moment before looking deeply into each other's eyes with much seriousness.

"I love you, Clare," Eli said in a soft, gentle voice. She smiled and brushed her hands against his red cheeks.

"I love you, too, Eli," They both leaned forward; their lips innocently kissing one another's. Eli's hand ran up and down Clare's back slowly sending pleasurable chills down her spine.

"Mm, you know it's already dark out; it's dangerous to drive…" Eli said when he pulled away from her with his classic, crooked smirk. "You could always stay here for the night."

"Oh, yeah, and tell my mom and dad what?"

"Say that you're spending the night at a friend's house, but stay here with me," Clare blushed lightly at this idea. It was _extremely_ tempting.

"I've never lied to my parents before…"

"Clare, you're such an innocent little girl…" But he loved that about her so much. "It's easy. Just say you're at Alli's house. It's Friday night; they'll believe you."

"…I should call Alli first to tell her though… just in case Mom or Dad decide to call them…"

"Make it quick; I'll be waiting in my room." Eli winked at her in a teasing manner before leaving. Clare reached into her pocket and grabbed her phone; calling her best friend.

"Hey, Alli…" As expected, Alli agreed to the whole plan (on the condition that Clare tells her everything that happens); happy that she was _finally_ getting together with Eli. It was about time, right? A moment after calling Alli, Clare called her mom.

"Hey, Mom, I-I was just wondering if I could sleep over at… A-Alli's house tonight,"

"Oh, that's definitely okay! I'm glad you're spending time with your friend…" The way her mother's voice sort of sounded distant made Clare very worried. It was the voice when things weren't going well between her parents.

"Are you and Dad arguing again?" She couldn't help but ask it; her voice shaking and cracking somewhat. She was afraid of the answer. Her mother was quiet for a minute; unsure of how to respond to her daughter's serious question. She wasn't really allowed to say anything that was going on between her and Randall.

"…Oh, Clare, no matter what happens; your father and I love you very much. Have a good time at Alli's and I'll call you tomorrow!" And after that, she hung up; leaving Clare unanswered and rather scared. Her mother's voice echoed deep within her head; _'No matter what happens; your father and I love you very much.'_ There was, without a doubt that fighting was going on, and it was getting very serious. Perhaps they were arguing about separation. Clare was struck with fear, and she couldn't think straight anymore. Her heart was beating rapidly against her chest and she began to breathe very quickly (without making noise). She knew it could be worse, but she hadn't experience this before. She didn't understand what it was like to go back and forth between parents like an item being passed around. Her parents were perfect Christians who've been together for so long… didn't they know how to work things out?

"Hey, Blue Eyes!" Eli called from his bedroom; poking his head out of his door. "You coming or what?" She didn't respond; moreover, she didn't really hear him. Her mind was going a mile a minute; thinking of awful "what-if's." Eli's gazed at her with a very confused and worried look. His eyes widened when he saw her phone drop from her hand and ran over to her when he saw her fall to her knees; managing to catch her just in time. It was all in slow motion for the two of them.

"What's wrong? What happened?" He questioned; wrapping his arms around her and allowing her to lay her head against his chest. She didn't answer at first; she honestly couldn't register in her mind that Eli was right there holding her. "Clare!"

"T-things are getting worse at my house… b-between Mom and Dad; I just know it…" She replied breathlessly in a very monotone voice. Eli sighed sadly; closing his eyes for a second. He knew his was killing her on the inside. He hated that she had to endure any sort of pain. Wasn't there anyway to steal it from her? Such a wonderful girl didn't deserve it. A small flashback to when Clare was giving her report in front of their entire English class played in his head. She couldn't even finish it because just reading it probably brought back painful memories for her.

"Remember… you have me. I know it hurts… but you're not alone. I'll never… leave you alone if you don't want me to," He said delicately in her ear. Clare's eyes began to water as the inevitable truth just crashed upon her shoulders.

"Eli…" She whispered his name; a tear falling down her soft, pale cheek. "Thank you… for everything. I'm probably being all dramatic-."

"Dramatic? Clare, I'm glad you're not bottling your feelings up! If you didn't act upset that your parents are feuding even more, I'd think you're crazy,"

"But, it could be so much worse…:

"Pain is pain; you've never had this happen before, so it's okay to cry. It's okay to hurt," The more Eli kept saying things like that, the more tears ran down her face. She somehow liked being the one who was being consoled; she always had to be strong in front of everyone.

"P-please… don't leave me, Eli,"

"Never will, Clare. Not 'til you cast me away," He sweetly kissed her ear and the curls of her hair before resting his cheek on hers.

"I'm glad that we found each other… Eli… thanks for ruining my glasses," He chuckled with a real smile and pulled her as close to him as he possibly could.

"Anytime…" He took a breath; stroking her hair. "You hear that beating thing in my chest? Yeah, that's my heart, and that's where you'll always be." The rest of the night was simply simplicity and very loving for each other. The two of them fell asleep in each other's arms; Eli whispering in Clare's ear when she dozed off, "I love you," and then kissed both of her eyelids.

For the eight days that Eli was suspended, Clare saw no sign of Fitz. _'He must've been suspended, too…'_ She thought as she walked down a hall to get to her History class on the eighth day of their suspension. _'Serves him right for putting stitches in my head…'_ As much as she hated breaking school rules, Clare saw opportunities while both were away. If she started the rumor that Fitz was gay, Fitz couldn't suspect that Eli started it because he was suspended too. So, as Clare was talking to Alli (who kept rambling on bout Drew and how good he could kiss), the false rumor just… came out.

"Alli, do you know Fitz? The Neanderthal who Eli's been fighting with?" She started; trying to keep a strong expression.

"Yeah, ugh; he's so gross," She responded; casually flipping her luscious black curls behind her shoulder. "What about him?"

"…He's actually…gay." She blurted out; twitching somewhat and feeling _very_ gross that this was starting.

"Really…?" Alli furrowed her brow; she always had this feeling that Fitz was but to hear it was… unexplainable.

"Yeah, I hear he makes out with his two buddies; why do you always think they follow him around like a puppy?"

"Oh my, God, Clare, we can ruin him now! We gotta tell _everyone_!" And before she could do anything to change her mind, Alli ran off and began telling everyone she could see. Clare sighed annoyed, took out her phone, and ran to the girl's bathroom. Her thumb dialed Eli's number instantly and she brought her phone to her ear.

"Please pick up…" She murmured to herself.

"It isn't everyday that you call me in during school hours; are you ditching without me?" Eli's teasing voice answered her call and Clare could breathe again.

"I'm not ditching! I have to tell you something,"

"Shoot, Blue Eyes,"

"…Remember that rumor you were planning to tell… about Fitz?"

"The one you were too chicken to tell?"

"Y-yeah… I kind of told it to Alli… and now she's telling the whole school…"

"My, my, Blue Eyes, somebody's taking risk… why suddenly change your mind?"

"I did it for you," She had a quiet voice… almost a whisper. "If I told it while you and Fitz were suspended, you wouldn't be suspected."

"But now you've ruined the fun of being able to tell it…" He said in a teasing tone that she couldn't resist. She giggled quietly; her fingers gracefully touching her bottom lip.

"Well, excuse me for taking away the fun,"

"I'll let it slide this time, but only because you called me,"

"Well, aren't you a sweet boy,"

"I know, I'm amazing,"

"Well, I got to get to History, as boring as that is…"

"Stop by later today?"

"Of course,"

"See you then," The two hung up and the day went by rather quietly. But the next day, when Fitz came back to school, he found himself to be in a bad place. As he entered the hallways, cruel, homophobic upperclassmen shoved him into lockers; calling him many different choice words. And, turns out, there was another rumor going around about him that Clare didn't even start; apparently, Fitz spent his time beating babies for an easy win (the rumor had been started by Adam when Clare told him about the previous rumor). A bunch of people began to gang up on Fitz to the point where he couldn't fight them off anymore.

Clare was innocently walking down the hallway when Fitz came out of nowhere (obviously being beaten up by random students). She began to watch; slightly enjoying watching everything unfold. When they walked away and Fitz was left on the ground; beaten and bruised, Clare walked over to him and chuckled at him.

"How does it feel to be the helpless one?" She asked him in a mocking tone. He looked up at her with a glare but couldn't move to attack her due to the pain.

"I hope you changed your mind, learned your lesson, and will leave Eli and his friends alone from now on." Then she left him there; feeling a lot stronger somehow. Gingerly, she touched the strings that kept her skin intact in her forehead and couldn't help but smile. It wasn't long before familiar arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her into a big hug.

"I'm back, Blue Eyes!" Eli said; kissing her ear with a smile. Clare smiled a great big grin and kissed his cheek.

"Obviously today's fantastic, cuz you're here," She responded with a chuckle.

"And now we don't have a Neanderthal to worry about anymore,"

"It can be just the two of us again, right?" She turned around to face him with serious eyes. Eli smiled brilliantly and laid his right hand on her left cheek.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Blue Eyes."

**End**


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